Not a Chance
by thosedarndursleys
Summary: In the midst of another overwhelming school year, Harry finds an unexpected place to hide.


**A/N:** This was written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 4: Start and end with the same preposition. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Not a Chance

Of all the places Hermione could have spent her afternoon, this was by far the most unexpected. And ridiculous. And completely _stupid_.

She trudged across a stone corridor, trying to ignore the sounds of crunching bones beneath her feet. She wasn't even supposed to know how to get here, but she had heard the story from Ron and Harry as soon as she had woken up from being petrified in her second year. Plus, Harry had left the entrance wide open in the middle of the girl's lavatory—it wasn't exactly NEWT-level Potions.

She inwardly sighed—a mixture of relief and exasperation—when she saw Harry sitting against a wall in the next room. He didn't acknowledge her approach, so the fifteen-year-old witch assumed his eyes were closed.

She was proven correct when she stepped close enough to make out the details of his face. Even with his head relaxing against the wall behind him, Harry's forehead was creased with worry and stress; his eyes flicked back and forth beneath closed lids.

As quietly as possible, Hermione made her way to the boy's side and slid down the wall, sitting next to him. Harry started at the sudden nearness and his eyes flew open. His wand, finding his palm with unexpected speed, pointed at the newcomer. It was Harry's turn to sigh when his mind registered the familiar face; he lowered his arm and leaned his head against the wall behind him once more.

"Sorry, 'Mione."

"You really have gone mad, haven't you?" Her tone was light, but her eyes held concern. She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to make him meet her eyes again.

Harry chuckled humorlessly and kept his eyes closed; his head back.

"I wish. This would be easier if I was locked up in St. Mungo's; eating pudding and reading about the Tournament in the paper, rather than being chucked into it like some sodding character in a muggle novel." He opened one eye and studied her.

Hermione bit back a retort about his ignorance and kept her voice as gentle as possible. Everyone's emotions had been high-strung recently—there was no need to cause unnecessary drama.

"Why are you down here, Harry?"

He fully opened his eyes and sat up from his slouch. Looking sideways at his best friend, Harry sighed and resigned himself to spending the next few minutes listening to a lecture.

"The last time things were this bad—when people thought the worst of me, and I was this miserable—was back when the whole school thought I was the heir of Slytherin." His explanation came out as one long mumble. "And now it's even worse, with Ron being a prat. I guess I just wanted to put myself back in the place I was before; to convince myself that things really do get better after a while."

"They will, Harry—"

"—But what if they don't, Hermione?" Harry growled loudly, kicking his heel at the stone floor. "What if this is just how things are going to be? I mean, best-case scenario, I die—"

"—_Harry!_"

"Worst-case scenario, Ron never believes me, and he and the rest of the school go on thinking I'm an attention-seeking sod for the rest of my life!"

"Harry! Stop. Neither of those is going to happen." Her hand moved to his knee this time, and she ducked her head until they made eye contact. "Ron will come around, and once he does, so will everyone else. The first challenge is going to be an eye-opener for the whole school. A person would have to be insane to put their name in the Goblet of Fire on purpose—especially a fourth year. Just give it some time." She squeezed his knee and let go, allowing him some time to think over what she had said.

Harry was silent for a few moments and then stood up off the dusty floor. He walked across the room and rested his forehead against the cool stone that encased them. Letting out a sigh, he turned around to meet the eyes that he could feel boring into his back.

"I can't do this again, Hermione." Harry felt his voice break and took a minute to compose himself. Just because his world was crashing down didn't mean he could act like a bloody two-year-old. "You and Ron are all I've got. Sirius is in hiding, and Lupin is who-knows-where. Ron's acting as if I've betrayed him. Who knows, maybe next you'll—"

Hermione cut off his sullen tirade by cupping his face in her hands and forcing him to meet her eyes, which she hated to admit were already teary.

"_I'm_ not going anywhere, Harry, and that's a promise." She waited for Harry to nod before releasing him, but keeping eye contact. "I'm sure Sirius is doing everything he can for you—Lupin as well. And so will Ron when he finally gets over himself. You've got friends, Harry. Even if Ron's not acting like it, you've still got the rest of us—and we're not going anywhere, so don't you dare give up on us. We deserve better than that, and so do you."

Harry studied the stone beneath his school shoes for a few moments before clearing his throat.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

He was knocked backwards by a sudden, eager force and was assaulted by an astounding amount of bushy hair. The familiarity of the sensation almost brought a chuckle from his throat.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said in a low voice, and the boy could hear the smile in her words. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Send me to St. Mungo's?" A smile played on his lips as the girl pulled back and grabbed his hand. They began to make their way to the exit before he heard her snickered reply.

"Not a chance."

After a slow-paced journey through the underground corridors, the two reached the girls' loo. Hermione waited patiently while Harry sealed the entrance and then quietly removed any trace of evidence that they had tampered with the sink.

Setting off toward Gryffindor Tower, Harry felt himself blush as he heard Hermione's muttered comment.

"Honestly, Harry, of all the places you could have thought of…"

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for taking the time to check out my story! If you have time, please leave a review or send me a PM—I'd love to get some feedback :) Thanks!

Also, thanks to Kai for correcting me on Hermione's age. I had forgotten she was already fifteen by this point in canon :)

And thank you, Lavender Flame for helping me with my grammar! You're a fantastic captain :)


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